Playoffs draw
A cracker awaits: Italy’s World Cup path is clear
Updated 11/20/2025 – 3:38 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
The last six places at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico have yet to be awarded. There may be a top game in Europe in the playoffs. Another football country is finding a feasible path. The draw at a glance.
It’s about the last six World Cup places: A total of 16 teams from Europe and 6 teams from the other continental associations are still in the race and will determine the latecomers in the field of participants for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico in the playoffs.
Exciting matches were drawn at the draw in Zurich on Thursday afternoon. Four-time soccer world champion Italy will face Northern Ireland in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup playoffs. Should coach Gennaro Gattuso’s team, which is under a lot of pressure, win their home game against the Northern Irish, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina would wait in the away final.
“Losfee” Marco Materazzi, world champion with Italy in Germany in 2006, also drew the duel between Turkey and Romania. Denmark will also face North Macedonia and Ukraine will face Sweden. The semi-finals will take place on March 26th, the finals five days later. A total of four European World Cup participants are still being sought for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Two World Cup tickets will be played in the intercontinental playoff tournament, in which New Caledonia will face Jamaica and Bolivia will face Suriname. The winner of the game between New Caledonia and Jamaica will face DR Congo, who are seeded in the final due to their world ranking position. In the second final, Iraq will play against the winner of the second duel. The matches will take place in Guadalajara and Monterrey, two of Mexico’s three World Cup venues.
The draw can be read in the ticker.
1:46 p.m. – This ends the draw in Zurich.
1.45 p.m. – The games at a glance:
Wales – Bosnia-Herzegovina, the winner will host the winner of the Italy – Northern Ireland match
Ukraine – Sweden, the winner receives the winner from Poland – Albania
Slovakia – Kosovo, the winner hosts the winner from Türkiye – Romania
Czech Republic – Ireland, the winner hosts the winner from Denmark – North Macedonia
1:38 p.m – Denmark meets North Macedonia.
1:36 p.m – Turkey must stand its ground against Romania.
1:35 p.m – Ukraine meets Sweden.
1:33 p.m – Denmark is the last team from Pot 1. Wales, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will now be drawn from Pot 2 into their respective parallel paths. The opponents now come from pot 3 and pot 4.
1:32 p.m – Now it’s Turkey’s turn.